


Meeting Mum

by Fabrisse



Series: Rebuilding the Table [12]
Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-20 05:52:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3639177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabrisse/pseuds/Fabrisse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eggsy brings Merlin to Sunday lunch.  Some things are hashed out, and Eggsy finally learns how his father died.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meeting Mum

**Author's Note:**

> There's a description of the first scene in the movie. There are mentions, with a little description, of domestic violence.

Eggsy let out a breath and took another one in. It wasn't his favorite relaxation exercise, but it was the one that was quickest. He picked up the phone and dialed the number as he took another calming breath. "Mum? Daisy! Yes, hello. Can you call Mum for me?" He heard her yell out "It's Eggsy! Mummy, Mummy, Eggsy!"

His mother opened with, "You better not be calling to tell me you won't be here Sunday. Daisy's already talking 'bout you being here."

"I'll be there, Mum. Can't imagine there'll be an emergency in two days."

Michelle said, "Can't imagine there's too many emergencies a tailor's shop would have."

"You'd be surprised, Mum."

"So why you calling then?"

"Wanted to ask if I could bring a guest with me."

"It's not that Roxy girl again, is it? She's lovely and all, but she's too posh for you. Though Daisy liked her."

"No, Mum, but she gave me a present for Daisy. And I might ask her around another time, as a friend. Roxy and I might be the terrors of our old age home some day," in his head he added, _"if we live to an old age."_ He brightened his voice, "But I promise you, Mum, it's only as friends."

"Is it this Daya you mentioned a coupla times?"

"No, Daya's another friend. And maybe someday you'll meet her, but she's not who I want to bring round this week. This is… "

"A girlfriend?"

"Mum. It's a man."

"Someone from work?"

Merlin walked in and Eggsy smiled at him. Into the phone he said, "Yes, I met him at work, but we moved in together last month. One or the other of us has worked every Sunday since, so this is my first chance to introduce you."

There was a long pause. "Oh, right. Does he like chicken? Daisy asked for it."

"Chicken's fine, Mum. I like your chicken. I'm sure Merlin will, too."

"What kind of a name is Merlin?"

"A nickname, Mum, like Eggsy. See you Sunday, all right?"

"Yeah, Sunday. Come around one."

"We'll be there." Eggsy hung up.

"So chicken on Sunday then?"

"You're lucky. Mum overcooks everything else."  
***  
They showed up on time, and Eggsy had barely time to kiss his mother and say, "This is Merlin. Merlin, my mother, Michelle," before being overwhelmed by his sister. 

Merlin watched them together and realized that Eggsy would probably be taken for her father, if they were walking through a park. After tearing the paper off her gift, Eggsy lifted her up easily and brought her over. "This is my friend, Merlin. Merlin, this little monkey is my sister, Daisy."

Merlin greeted her gravely, and she grinned at him. 

"Is there anything I can do, Mum?"

"No…uh, actually, there's something needs doing in the kitchen."

Eggsy motioned to the couch and said, "Have a seat. I think Mum wants a private word."

"I've no doubt."

Daisy slapped Merlin's knee and said, "Read!"

"Daisy, what do we say?" Eggsy peered down at her sternly.

The little girl frowned for a moment, then said, "Please! Read, please." 

Merlin took the book she handed him and laughed. " _The Kitchen Knight_?"

"Roxy's gift."

"Eggsy!"

"Coming, Mum." 

She was standing by the sink and turned to face him. "He's not your flat mate."

"Didn't mean for you to think he was. I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression, Mum."

Michelle shook her head. "You was always after the girls, or they was always after you. Why'd I think you'd end up a poof?"

Eggsy swallowed hard. "I did like girls. I still like girls. But he's my love. Can't explain it beyond that. I love him."

"Dean was right. I was too easy on you 'cause I lost your dad."

"Mum, when have you ever had a problem with someone being gay? I know you like Sam Smith."

"But he's not my son. It's not like there was anyone gay we knew. Those posh gits who used to come around the bridge maybe, but no one from the estate."

Eggsy closed his eyes to calm himself. "I'm disappointed in you, Mum. Can't you just be happy I found someone to love? Who loves me?"

"He's old enough to be your father. My father."

"Actually, I'm only eight years older than you are, Mrs. Unwin." Merlin had Daisy in his arms. "She demanded that Eggsy push her in the swing now."

Eggsy looked between Merlin and his mother. He grinned at Daisy and took her from Merlin. 

"C'mon, sweetheart, let's go outside."

The door had barely shut when Michelle said, "You're too old for him."

"So I told him."

She narrowed her eyes. "I know you're not him."

"Not who?"

"The one who gave us that medal. My husband's dead and some posho comes around and gives me a medal, says Lee saved his life. Says I get a favor from it when all I really want is my husband. And then Eggsy calls that number and I don't know what all happens. But you sure as hell remind me of him."

"His name was Harry Hart. He was a good friend of mine, a friend to Eggsy, too, I believe. And, yes, I knew Lee. He saved my life." The back door opened as he said it, and Daisy came running back in.

"She decided she'd had enough on the swing."

Michelle said, "Did you know he knew your father?"

"Yes, Mum, I did. And I knew Harry delivered the medal and all."

She sighed. "I'd best get dinner on the table."

"I'll help you, Mum."

***  
Dinner was easier than Eggsy'd feared after the earlier tension. Merlin was charming. Michelle was polite. Daisy was happy, and Eggsy was on tenterhooks. Still, the chicken was good and Daisy had gotten to the point that she knew not to fling mashed spuds.

He'd been cooing to Daisy and letting his Mum and Merlin talk when he heard her say, "Dean says…" He handed Daisy a quiet toy to play with and began to pick up dishes. When Merlin started to get up, Eggsy kissed his temple and said, "Nah, I can do the washing up, love." He glanced over at Michelle and added, "Want to make some tea, Mum?"

She nodded and got Daisy out of her high chair on her way into the kitchen. 

"When'd you last see Dean, Mum?" He'd pushed up his sleeves and started on the dishes.

"Prolly Thursday. Just ran into each other on Hampstead Heath."

"Hampstead Heath is huge, Mum, over a square mile, so I'm pretty sure he had to know _where_ to 'just run into' you."

"Dean's got a right to see his own daughter."

Eggsy shook his head as he cleaned a glass like it had personally offended him. "No, he doesn't. You have sole custody. _He_ has a restraining order."

Michelle said, "Yeah, I know he can't come by the house."

"It's a personal restraining order, Mum. He can't come within five-hundred meters of you or Daisy. That was the longest order we could get. I was aiming for five-hundred miles, yeah."

"He's changed, love."

"No, Mum, he hasn't." He shook his head and turned round to face her. "I understand why you went with him when I was a kid. I know you did your best to protect me, too. But I still remember seeing him hit you while you was pregnant with her, our Daisy, and I came as close that day as I ever 'ave to committing murder."

"Instead, you went off and joined the Marines. Couldn't believe you'd go off and do that to me. Thank god you came to your senses." The kettle boiled, and she started to get the tea things together.

"Mum, leaving the Royal Marines was the worst decision of my life. It worked out well. I'm doing a job I love, found the man I love, and get to keep you and Daisy safe."

"Can't believe that man," she muttered under her breath, "pursuing a young lad like you."

"You think he pursued me? That man is still so much a Scots Presbyterian," Eggsy imitated Merlin's brogue as he said it, "that he'd still be calling me 'sir' at the office, if I hadn't stopped him. I pursued him."

"Calling _you_ 'sir'?"

"I'm not his boss, but, technically, I'm higher up in the shop than he is."

"Tailor's shop. You must 'fink I'm stupid and all."

Eggsy made his voice perfectly flat. "Merlin and I work in a tailor's shop."

She came close to him. "All right, you work in a tailor's shop. Just tell me you don't bring guns into the house."

He turned and flipped the back of his sweater up so that she could see the empty double holster just above his jeans. "I wear it all the time, so my movement doesn't change and give anything away. The weight of the weapons makes very little difference." He turned back to her. 

"But most of the time…"

"Yeah, Mum."

She patted his cheek. "You're happy, son?"

"Never been happier. Well, other than finding out Dean's still trying to hang 'round. I don't think Daisy should have much to do with him."

"Well, I think she needs a father. Look how she's taken to your Merlin."

Eggsy smiled. "Yeah, because he makes people feel safe. Does she act the same way when you seen Dean?"

Michelle stopped what she was doing and took the time to think. "Most o' the time, she starts cryin' after 'bout five minutes. Screamin' even."

"I'm not saying don't tell her 'bout her father. She'll want to know, like I did, but don't let her think Dean's got rights with her."

"This tea's going to be stewed." She picked up the tray and went out to the other room. 

Daisy was snuggled up against Merlin, sound asleep at his side. He met Eggsy's eyes and gave a little smile. "She didn't even want me to read to her, just climbed up next to me and fell asleep."

Eggsy smiled back and helped his mum with the tea. He said, quietly, "See, Mum? Safe."

***  
In the car on the way back, he turned to Merlin. "I heard you murmuring like you do into your glasses. I assume nothing came up, since we didn't have to leave right away, so…?"

"Mister Dean Anthony Baker may be picked up for violating his restraining order quite soon. When he's in custody, every single crime we can prove he's committed will be added to the charges."

"Thank you."

Merlin patted his knee. "It's your family, Eggsy, of course they should be protected."

Eggsy just nodded, and Merlin withdrew his hand.

The rest of the day was like that. Eggsy was mostly silent. Even when he was reading, he'd usually share something interesting he'd found with Merlin. Around ten, Merlin made them both some Horlicks and brought it to Eggsy. He sat and said, "We're not going to bed until we talk about whatever this is."

"I'm angry. I don't have a right to be, but I'm angry. I'm just working it through."

"Could you tell me what you're mad about? Is it me you're unhappy with?"

Eggsy reached for his hand and kissed it. "I'm happy with you. But yes, you're the one I'm angry at, and I know it's irrational."

"Why?"

"You never told me you were there when my father died. I knew you'd trained him, that you'd known him, if only because of the way you looked at me when you said me dad had made it to the final two."

Merlin said, "I thought Harry told you."

"He told me my dad had saved his life. That he'd -- Harry'd -- missed something, and my dad saved every man there. 'Cept himself. But I didn't know who the men were that were there. An' I still don't know what happened, what he actually did."

Merlin said, "I really thought you already knew, that Harry'd told you. I wasn't keeping it from you."

"I know. I said I was irrational. Doesn't change how I feel though." He took a sip of the warm milk. "'Cept it does. I can't stay angry, not with you, but I wish my father hadn't died, that I'd known him. But if he hadn't o' done what he done, I wouldn’t have known you or Harry or be what I am today."

"Do you want to know? I'll tell you, but it's not…"

"Pretty? Didn't think it would be."

He took Eggsy's hand. "Both Lancelot candidates, James, who became Lancelot, and your father passed the 'shoot the dog' test. Like Daya and Van, we came up with other tests, and they both passed. Finally, we got word that someone we wanted to interrogate, code named Falcon, was at a particular spot in the Middle East. We took the facility. Found Falcon, and Harry looked him over, after he'd been tied to a chair, and began the questioning. Falcon leaned over and pulled the pin out of a grenade with his teeth, something I didn't know until afterward -- well it became clear quickly. Harry started toward Falcon, but your father pushed him out of the way and threw himself over the prisoner taking the full brunt of the grenade. James became Lancelot by default."

"Why didn't you know?"

"I was behind the prisoner. It gave me a direct line out the door so Harry could turn his back on it. James was to the prisoner's right. Harry was directly in front of the prisoner, and your father was about four feet to Harry's right which is why he could see and register what was going on."

Eggsy nodded. "Is 'at why you carry a grenade pin on you?"

"Yes."

"Seems like my dad saved my life, too, then. As bad as my hands were cramping, I don't think I could have lasted the whole ten minutes if I'd had to keep the handle down."

"I think you would have just because you wouldn't want to take out people you knew, but I'm glad we didn't have to find out for sure." He felt Eggsy's hand tighten in his. "Are you still angry?"

"No. No. Maybe a little at Harry for not saying more, a lot at me for not asking. I just, it never occurred to me you were there."

Merlin leaned over slowly and pressed a soft kiss to Eggsy's lips. "I'm sorry."

Eggsy pulled him closer and said, "Don't be, love."

"Bed?"

"As long as it's not for sleeping."

"Did I pass your mother's inspection?"

"Mostly. She told us not to bring guns into the house."

Merlin's eyebrows went up. "Well, my mother has similar rules. Fancy a trip to Glasgow next month?"

**Author's Note:**

> There'll be another chapter in my Mission Control story soon. The knots unraveled in this one first.


End file.
